Editorial: Kaneville Festâ€”a celebration of community

Residents of the village of Kaneville have long considered themselves a community, long before the village was recognized as such by the state, complete with official borders and a government entity.

We recall that for years before the villageâ€™s incorporation in 2006, we would often receive news items, letters to the editor, and other communications signed by residents, complete with â€œof the village of Kaneville.â€

They are a perfect example of how a community does not need official designation to be one. They have long recognized that the word community means far more than what can be defined by a unit of government.

In fact, nine years ago and for several years before that, the community of Kaneville held a festival each summer to create an opportunity for residents to get together and have fun.

However, for the past eight years, there has been no summer community event that has drawn community members together. And yet their sense of community continued and even strengthened; culminating with their decision to pursue incorporation as an official village.

And now that they are a community in both spirit and law, members of the community are bringing back that annual summer festival.

Kaneville Fest will run from Friday through Sunday, Aug. 28-30, complete with book sales, volleyball games, picnics, an outdoor movie, and much more.

If you have lived in Kaneville for long, you know about the strong sense of community that thrives there. For you, this event will be a celebration of that.

If you are new to Kaneville or live in a different village, then you are invited to visit the festival and become a part of that community.

The long-term residents of the village of Kaneville and the pre-2006 community of Kaneville are proof that borders do not define communities, people do.

Therefore, if you are reading this, you are a member of the community, and we hope to see you there.